Description

This collection draws together four tales for younger readers.

Two stories feature Lilli and her magical companion, Shadow. Living in Nan’s mango tree, Shadow is just the friend Lilli needs when adjusting to a new life in a new town. And, when Shadow finds himself the host of an unwanted visitor, Lilli becomes just the friend he needs too.

The next two stories are about Annie, who learns how important ingenuity and strong family ties are when living in the remote community of Useless Loop. Annie helps her dad build an amazing beach sports car from a pile of junk before she and her family battle a cyclone.

Review

Featuring four short stories, this is a wonderful way to introduce younger readers to Indigenous storytelling.

Two stories centre around Lilli and her Shadow, and two around Annie and her family.

Both sets of stories have very strong family connections, spread across different generations.

Lilli has a wonderful relationship with her Nan and when Lilli moves away from her, she realises that she is not so alone - Nan had sent Shadow Boy with Lilli to protect her. But Shadow was only needed by Lilli for a short time, and when Nan wasn't well, it was time for Shadow to return home. But will he be able to return to his mango tree?

We also share two of Annie’s stories. In the first story Annie must overcome her initial disappointment about the ‘sports’ car that her Dad had promised, and in her second story we follow her and her family as they prepare for a cyclone.

With a strong focus on families, these touching stories are suitable for all students aged 7+.